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—
Mornings melted into evenings and evenings dissolved into days…...
The time seemed to disappear with the flourish of activity that Roy's new position and the urgency that their upcoming nuptials brought.
Before either of them realized, Roy and Riza were nearly two weeks into their wedding planning and courtship.
To the engaged couple, it had quickly become apparent that although they were about to take an intimate and binding vow…...there would be no private moments for them to bond as a couple before their wedding.
Amestris law concerning an unmarried Fuhrer's courtship was very invasive and quite restrictive.
Roy had to have Riza formally escorted by her chauffeur every time she visited his office or the Fuhrer's mansion.
Under no circumstances was Roy allowed to pick Riza up or drop her off, and she was never allowed to come alone.
They were not required to have a chaperone when they were either in Roy's office or at the mansion, but….
….Every time Riza came to visit Roy privately, both the future bride and the future groom were shrewd enough to know that someone was always listening in on their conversations.
Either seen or unseen…
At least they were allowed those brief visitations.
Of course, it was assumed that the couple would spend their time together formally planning their wedding.
Roy and Riza were also officially obligated to go on several planned, public dates so that their courtship could be witnessed and celebrated.
Well, that was certainly interesting for the people of Amestris, but for the engaged couple….
It was terribly hard to get closer to someone while being forced to stay almost exclusively in the public eye.
Neither Roy nor Riza were used to that kind of attention.
Neither Roy nor Riza really cared for that kind of attention either, but they promised each other they would learn to live with it if that was what it took for them to be together.
Besides…..
Once they were married, and Roy went home for the day, they would be alone in the Fuhrer's mansion together.
No cameras, no journalists, and certainly no subordinates would follow them there…
In the meantime, Roy had devised a plan.
—
Every evening, once it got late, Roy sent his subordinate away and pretended to go to bed.
As soon as he was alone, he stealthily sneaked out of the Fuhrer mansion, going unseen through the hidden tunnel far below the house.
He would come up through a secret entrance in the middle of the city, disguised as an average civilian.
Then, under the cover of stealth, Roy would carefully make his way to Riza's apartment.
All of that effort after a long day's work, just to spend a few hours with her alone.
During those hours, there were no cameras, no military, and no pressure, just Roy and Riza.
It was those few hours a day that the two of them quickly began to cherish.
And despite the restrictive and exploiting laws regarding the marriage of the Fuhrer, Roy and Riza were able to bond and interact as two who were about to wed should.
One particular evening, they sat on Riza's small sofa, talking over some of the wedding details.
They had little time left to make their final decisions, their choices must be turned in to the wedding coordinator in three days.
The couple had easily agreed on the location and time.
Roy was chivalrous enough to let his bride have the final say about the majority of the other details, but there was one thing that Roy had assertively voiced his opinion about.
The dress.
Strapless.
Roy hated strapless.
It was the last aspect Riza thought he would care about, but he had been very adamant about what kind of dress he strongly preferred Riza not wear.
She had three days left….
Tonight, Riza had decided to petition her groom-to-be for a strapless gown again.
"I like this one." Riza insisted, showing Roy the glossy magazine picture of a bride wearing a lovely chiffon strapless dress.
Roy looked at the page and frowned as Hayate came over and laid down at his feet.
The flame alchemist took a hand, reached down, and gently pet the animal.
"No." Roy said firmly.
"Why not?" Riza asked with a pout.
"You know I don't like strapless." Roy said, taking the magazine from Riza and flipping to a page that showed a bride wearing a gown with intricate straps made of detailed lace. "I think something like this suits you better." Roy said with a soft smile, thinking about Riza wearing the dress instead of the model.
"Look how low cut that is!" Riza exclaimed.
The dress Roy selected from the magazine did have a very definite sweetheart neckline that exposed….well, much more than the strapless gown did.
Roy was silent.
Riza looked over at him.
Roy smirked and shrugged his shoulders, his eyes dipping down to Riza's full breasts for a split second. "Well, I did say that one suits you better."
Riza smacked Roy with the magazine before she continued her search, scowling.
Roy had told her that since she was the bride, she would be the one giving the orders concerning the wedding.
He was simply helping and supporting.
Well, at least he thought he was.
Riza's wedding dress…...
She liked strapless better.
But a different gown would appeal more to her groom.
Riza would certainly take her future husband's preference into consideration but a part of her wondered if this was the one time she would end up not following Roy's orders…...
—
Once it grew very late, Roy kissed Riza's cheek and stood from the sofa.
"Going so soon?" Riza asked sarcastically.
It was almost one in the morning.
Roy glanced at the clock and chuckled. "You know I have to be up early."
"So do I. Being the Fuhrer's fiancé is actually a pretty demanding job." Riza countered as she stood and walked him to the door.
"Riza…" Roy smiled, chuckling, as he stepped out of Riza's apartment and stood in the hallway.
"Roy….." Riza said in the same tone of voice, giving him a look as she leaned against the door.
Despite their lighthearted conversation, Roy's onyx eyes grew deep and serious as he looked at her.
Riza felt her cheeks start to blush, finding herself suddenly invigorated and desperate to move, feeling fidgety, jittery….under the intensity of his gaze.
Roy took a step forward and Riza's eyes glimmered with anticipation.
This was it….
One of their favorite moments from their new daily routine.
Yes, every night…..
Riza closed her eyes and Roy pressed her, gently but firmly, against the door as he caught her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.
The kind of kiss that only those in love shared.
The kind of kiss that was sweet and pure to them but would have been absolutely obscene to the press.
Every night they shared that kind of kiss.
Riza threw her arms around Roy's neck and he slid his own around her waist as their lips met over and over again.
Riza's apartment building was silent.
Most of the residents were asleep by now.
The sound of Roy and Riza embracing each other was the only noise in the long hallway.
At the height of their passion, when their kiss threatened to lead into something much more carnal, Roy ended it sweetly, but definitely, his eyes boring into Riza's as he pulled away.
It was a good thing that Roy led and Riza followed…
Because Riza would never have found the strength to wrench herself out of his strong embrace.
"Roy…" Riza breathed.
She was about to invite him in and Roy knew it.
"No." Roy whispered, holding her close and pressing his forehead to hers as he spoke. "Not like this. Our first time together, I want us to really be together."
Riza frowned.
He always refused to stay, insisting the first night they shared a bed would be their wedding night.
There wasn't a law that forbade Roy from…..staying awhile longer…..so to speak.
Not officially, anyway.
There wasn't a law that halted their kiss.
No, waiting until their wedding night was Roy's own idea.
Maybe he wouldn't have felt the same if circumstances were different, but, given the conditions of their relationship from the present all the way back to the day they met….he wanted their first time together to be…..memorable…..no, it would be memorable no matter what….he wanted it to be significant.
"You're such a romantic, Colonel." Riza teased as Roy stepped out into the hallway again.
"You've got three days, Lieutenant." Roy replied stoically as he began to make his way back to the Fuhrer's mansion for the night. "You're not going to shirk your duties now, are you?"
Riza watched him leave then she closed her door.
Romantic or not, Roy was right.
Riza had just three days to turn in her selections to the staff in charge of coordinating the Fuhrer's wedding.
Dress, flowers, cake, music, decorations…..
Riza walked over to the sofa and took a blue folder out from under the coffee table.
The folder held all of her notes, all of her requests, and all of her requirements for the ceremony and the reception.
She opened it up and tore out the magazine page that showed the dress Roy had said he liked so well for her.
She placed the magazine page in the folder and closed it for the night.
Riza gently gently reached down and scratched Hayate behind the ears.
"Just the flowers and the food left now, boy." Riza smiled.
Hayate gave her a happy bark in response, following her into her room as she retired for the night.
Riza showered and got ready for bed, laying down with a sigh, wishing Roy was beside her.
Her brown eyes closed slowly and sleepily as she thought.
Roses might be nice…
White?
Or red?
Both?
As Riza fell asleep, her thoughts melted into an idea of Roy dancing with her at their reception, dressed elegantly in a black tuxedo, a white rose corsage pinned to his lapel.
Across the room, one of her bridesmaids was holding her bouquet, a mix of white and red roses, elegant, classic, and bold….
Yes….roses would be nice.
"Just the food left now…." Riza whispered as she finally drifted off to sleep.
—-
Across the city, Roy snuck back into the Fuhrer mansion, batting away thoughts of his military duties tomorrow.
Normally, he was entirely focused on his work, but he was soon to face his room alone again…
Ugh.
He was about to go to bed and that meant he had to confront the truth that even though he had made a way for them to be together, Riza was still apart from him….even if only for the night…..
He wouldn't dwell on that.
No.
A short while later, as Roy laid down to sleep, the worry and tension faded from his brow as a pleasant smile formed on his face.
He focused on one thought that evolved into one single dream….
He focused on Riza walking down the aisle towards him, wearing that wedding dress with the beautiful lace straps…..
Ready to be with him, to stand beside him, to follow him wherever….and forever.
Riza Hawkeye, his wife.